Building a storage shed

After gettting out of goats years ago, about 4 years back, I bought just ONE goat….but any goat keeper knows goats are like potato chips…..no one can have just one. So now my herd has grown to 10 does, 1 very nice buck and a few pet wethers. Our place used to be a dairy farm, unfortunately the dairy barn (complete with Grade A milking parlor!) was torn down. The building I am using now was the calf barn/maternity ward, it’s about 28×60, has concrete floors with NO drains. This has been used as my dh’s garage/workshop for many years, but he let me have one end of the building for my goats, with an attached exercise yard. Needless to say, I’ve outgrown it, especially since I am somewhat crippled up and have to muck this area out by hand. The opposite end of the building has two BIG sliding barn doors opposite each other, big enough to get the tractor through, so the goats and I have outvoted my dh and he gets to move his shop elsewhere. I want to make one big 14 by 28 loafing area for the does, with a narrow 28 ft long hay feeder along the outside wall, which should give them enough eating space as well as free up all the floor area. On the opposite (28 ft) side I would put combo panels, installed so they could be quickly and easily removed. On cleaning day, I could run the goats outside, remove the combo panels, and run the tractor through, scooping everything out the back onto a flatbed trailer. I would still have to do a little shoveling along the sides where the tractor wouldn’t reach but it would eliminate a huge part of the heavy work for me.

Water buckets would be on the outside of the combo panels so the does could put their heads through to drink, but not be able to mess up their water. Likewise with the salt and minerals. Milk room would be close by but a separate area. The “old” goat pen (in current use) will become my kidding pens and sick bay area.

I will have room for 2-3 kid pens adjoining the doe pen, which would not be accessible by the tractor but it would be easy on cleaning day to toss the dirty bedding into the does pen for the tractor to pick up. Not perfect, but beats running the wheelbarrow. I would use panels with 2×4 spacing for the kids, rather than the combo panels. I want to use panels so everything can be dismantled easily for cleaning. I will cut doors in the side of the building to allow access to outside runs for the kids. The does would also have access to a large exercise yard fenced with combo panels, with a couple strands of smooth wire on top to make the fence 6′ high. I would also attach boards (2x6s?) about shoulder height all along the inside of the fence, for the does to rub on, hopefully keeping them from trashing the fence. Once I get rid of some excess horses and get my Great Pyrs, the does will also have pasture.

My buck pen and stall will be separate and away from the doe barn. I will make it big enough that the wethers can be in with him most of the time (for company), but they would be separated by a divider fence during breeding season to avoid injuries.

Would appreciate comments, suggestions, etc. especially from long time goat breeders. I know I’m forgetting some things, and I want to do this right the FIRST time!

– Lenette (kigervixen@webtv.net), August 25, 2001

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